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Location: Under piles of craft stuff in New Zealand
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URGENT craft room advise needed
Hi ladies -- I am in need of some advise -- I am in the process of setting up my first ever craft room. I have soooooooooooooooooo much stuff -- stuff I use all the time and stuff I look at and think -- mmmm one day I might use it -- and then stuff that I am really not even sure where it came from. WHERE OH WHERE do I start. My room is not big and my storage space will be limited until I get it all sorted. What are some ways that you have all found is best for storing punches, nesties, card stock, etc. Also my inks -- in summer it is a very hot room -- does anyone else have a hot room and a good way of storing inks so they dont dry out ??? Thanks in advance -- any advice will be awesome. Hugs Kim
I wish I could help you with your scraproom ideas, Kim, but I don't know what to tell you. I store all of my extras I know I won't use often in my garage. I have a small scrap space.
I live in the desert of California, so it does get hot here. I turn my ink pads upside down and hope for the best I hope that might help
How exciting for you! I have a climate controlled room, so I have nothing to offer there. But I can share a few things....
Nesties...I keep them on the cardboard them come on with the double stick tape. I just trim the cardboard to be about 5.5" and then I keep them in a recipe card box. I have one for basic shapes, one for "labels", and one for miscellaneous shapes.
Cardstock....I keep 8.5x11 cardstock in hanging files in a file cabinet. I have the SU colors by color family and the PTI cardstock by ROYGBIV. 12x12 cardstock is kept in Cropper Hoppers in JetMax cubes or on shelves in JetMax cubes.
Punches.....I use Bygel rods from Ikea to keep mine in plain sight on the wall. I use what I see, so this works for me. I do keep "seasonal" punches in drawers and trade them out as I move on to different projects throughout the year. Right now, spring/easter ones are out; Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day are stored in Jetmax 3 drawer cubes.
I found some "industrial" shelves at Costco that are stainless so they're not ugly or anything. They hold up to 350# and bought two of them to put against the walls in my stamp room. They are great for holding paper and my UM stamp collection of 17 years. Just today I separated my 12x12 paper ~ the solids from the prints. What a big job that was but then I put the solids from light to dark piles (one from navy to pale blue, for example) It looks sooo nice in there now. I don't have any idea of how to best organize my print paper, however and I've never heard any good suggestions. I also bought some clear, plastic boxes with covers at JoAnn's ($4.99 but I use a coupon) and I put everything I have for T'giving in a box or two, Christmas, Spring/Easter, etc,. I put all of those boxes (marked with what is inside) on a high shelf on my shelving unit because I don't use them except for that season. I hope this isn't too wordy and you get some ideas.
I currently use part of the living room so space is tight!
For me, the hardest part has been all the sorting!! It seems I have stuff stashed everywhere! ;) I am still working on this! I started by using rubbermaid totes. We moved a few months ago so most of them were already full.
I just started sorting like items together! You can always change the container if you need bigger/smaller or find something you like better.
It was overwhelming for me to just see all this stuff everywhere! Now, I just grab a tote while I'm watching tv or a movie and go through it. I must say it is working pretty well!!
Since I don't have a lot of room in my area...I will use these totes to store a lot of my extra stuff! For me, finding things quickly has been a big problem. Hopefully, once it's sorted and more organized I won't have this problem. I use my file cabinet for a lot too. Stickers, labels...etc. So nice to just pull open the drawer and there's what I need!!!
For my nesties...I don't have a big collection yet so I'm planning on putting them in a pretty box that I can easily flip though. I also like the idea of putting them in cd cases with a magnet....may do that after I collect a few more!
I get a lot of organizing stuff at walmart, the dollar store...etc. I have a small plastic basket with a handle for my most used tools. It can just sit out on my table. Found an old long plastic box (may have been a cassette tape holder), laid it on it's side...put my glues, inks, embossing powders and such in there. It also sits on my table.
I bought 2 of the 12x12 white drawer sets at walmart. Each one has 3 drawers. They hold most of my 12x12 paper packs. I also use a small file box to hold more paper, transparencies...etc.
I'm working on cutting my scraps down and color sorting them. Especially with the nesties...I've found all I really need is a small piece of paper.
I have a small little iris type cart on wheels that's plastic with 3 drawers. I have my punches stored there, my crop-a-dile, envelopes...etc. It fits under my table for easy access. Beside it is another one with longer, deeper drawers. It's amazing how much they hold!!
I also plan to use an under-the-bed storage box for things I don't use a lot but want to pull out quickly. I also like the idea of using the clear shoe holders that hang on the back of a door. Been looking for one, just haven't found it yet!
I don't have space here for shelves, but when I do I plan to buy some shelves like bug mentioned. I do have a small bookcase that holds my printer (on top), my 12x12 paper drawers, Big, Shot...etc.
If space allows, I'd love to have a 4 drawer file cabinet. I'm really loving having stuff filed!! I've got cardstock, printer paper, files for holiday embellishments in the little 2 drawer one I have.
I love the rails for punches but since we are renting I don't want to put too many holes in the wall! I also have a small piece of peg board on a bulletin board. I hand my decorative scissors on. I have more peg board but no place for it right now. It's a good option for you to consider though. You can hang so many things!
Congrats! on your first craft room!!
For my nesties...I don't have a big collection yet so I'm planning on putting them in a pretty box that I can easily flip though. I also like the idea of putting them in cd cases with a magnet....may do that after I collect a few more!
Tammy
I originally stored my nesties in CD cases, but I didn't like it. I was worried smaller pieces may fall out, plus it took up a lot of space.
I now store my nesties on a magnet stored in Memorex CD keepers. The keepers are like CD sleeves, except they are made of polypropylene so they are sturdier. I get the magnetic vent covers at Home Depot and cut them up. The keepers are thin so there isn't a lot of wasted space.
Hi ladies -- I am in need of some advise -- I am in the process of setting up my first ever craft room. I have soooooooooooooooooo much stuff -- stuff I use all the time and stuff I look at and think -- mmmm one day I might use it -- and then stuff that I am really not even sure where it came from. WHERE OH WHERE do I start. My room is not big and my storage space will be limited until I get it all sorted. What are some ways that you have all found is best for storing punches, nesties, card stock, etc. Also my inks -- in summer it is a very hot room -- does anyone else have a hot room and a good way of storing inks so they dont dry out ??? Thanks in advance -- any advice will be awesome. Hugs Kim
One word: Craigslist.
We moved from NY to Colorado a couple of years ago and I had to leave my beautiful built in cabinets behind. We rented a great house here in Colorado, but the landlord was totally against my husband rebuilding the screwed to the wall type cabinetry that I was accustomed to. So I went on Craigslist and found three armoires for under $150 (for all three!!!). Two of them are 6ft tall with lots of shelve room for baskets, etc. The third is 4 ft tall and has cubbies as well as great storage on top. I have my inks in one of the cabinets to keep them cool. The room I am in is in the southwest corner of our house and gets the afternoon sun, so I have the fauxwood blinds to keep that heat out in the afternoon. My husband also installed shelving in the closet, which is directly to the right of my desk, for paper organization. I close the closet door to keep the light off my paper, thus keeping it from fading.
Congratulations, Kim - that's exciting and will be so much fun for you getting everything organised. I don't have much advice to offer, but I'd agree with Holly on keeping paper out of direct light - I try to keep my 12x12 stuff in pizza boxes (but then, I don't have a huge amount). It gets pretty hot in my attic in the summer, but not as hot as New Zealand, I doubt. I've not had any trouble with inks, even though they're quite near the skylights and certainly get a good blast of sunshine.
I've had most of my inkpads for over 10 years - I keep them in small ziploc bags.
But my best advice, and I took my own advice, is look at the stuff you think you might use. Will you really? Or do you have an established style, or likes and dislikes? If so, I would get rid of the stuff you've had for a while but never used. I just did a major craftroom purge, and oh, the freedom of getting rid of stuff and having more room and easier access to the stuff I actually do use.
I have a 4-foot square island, with 12 stackable drawers on 2 sides. These give me tons of storage and is where I keep my nesties, embossing folders, Cricut cartridges, coloring tools, envelopes and precut and scored card bases. I have wall shelves next to the side where I work the most, with my stamps and ink within easy reach. I live in an old (96 years) 2-story house. The smallest bedroom upstairs is my craftroom. On one side, the ceiling is slanted and that side of the room contains closets along the entire length. I took the doors off to conserve space, and hung panels in place of the doors. So instead of having to allow room for door openings, I just slide the panels to one side and have instant access to the closets. My husband took the closet rods down and installed shelving for me, with plenty of room for vertical paper storage.
Even though my room is small, I have separate stations for cutting, for using the Cuttlebug and the Cricut, for my computer, and for stamping, which is my main work area. And another organizational tip is that I store my embellishments by color, not by type. I wasn't sure I would like this at first, but totally love it now that I've used this system for a couple of years.
Hope some of these ideas help, and most of all, have fun organizing your new space!
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
Location: Under piles of craft stuff in New Zealand
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Wow awesome -- thank you all for your wonderful advise and other links to go to. My room will have carpet tomorrow and then I will be setting everything up -- I can't wait. I am going to have a massive clean out and get rid of all the stuff I dont use -- or I will see if my daughter wants it. Thanks again -- I am off now to vac my first to newly carpeted rooms and move furniture back in. Massive job.
Well - straight off if your room is carpeted - I personally don't like them, but one of those plastic floor covers/mats round your desk area might save your carpet from some lovely ink stains . I'm sure it's not just me who occasionally accidentally drops things off the desk.
Location: prolly in my 'rubber room'... in the mid-west
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how exciting!!!
i don't have a lot of space...
i store my CS vertically on shelves (i don't have room for filing cabinets OUT OF THE SUN LIGHT!!!
i store my punches in those sterlite drawer organizer things, they hold A LOT! tho i am starting to out grow them.
i don't have many nesties, the ones i do have i store in CD cases with a magnetic sheet to keep them in place.
i keep all of my inks, markers, and most used tools on my desk top so they are fast and easy to get to.
my best advise is to leave yourself 'room to grow' as i have had to re-do my space more than a couple times and it is in need of it again. i really just wish i had MORE SPACE!
i hope you can compile ideas from all the replies and end up with an awesome space that inspires you!
URGENT craft room advise needed
I hope that might help 
